Football Closes Out Season Tuesday at Toledo on ESPN2

November 19 | Football

Follow Akron Football on Twitter (@ZipsFB) and Facebook

Akron at Toledo Game Notes in PDF Format
Terry Bowden – Toledo Week Press Conference Video

Game Day Coverage:
Listen to Free Audio Stream (SportsRadio1350.com)
WatchESPN.com
Follow Free Live Statistics

GAME 12

Akron (1-10, 0-7 MAC) at Toledo (8-3, 5-2 MAC)

Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2012
7 p.m. ET
Toledo, Ohio
Glass Bowl (26,248)

Television: ESPN2 / WatchESPN.com – Mark Neely (play-by-play), Ray Bentley (analyst).

Live Statistics/Webcast: Live statistics available free of charge via UTRockets.com. Webcast not available due to ESPN coverage.

Radio: Akron-IMG Sports Network – SportsRadio 1350 AM (WARF) in Akron (flagship), 1420 WHK in Cleveland, 1440 WHKZ in Warren/Youngstown. Steve French (play-by-play), Brad Detwiler (analyst) and Joe Dunn (sideline) (6 p.m. ET airtime). Audio stream at SportsRadio1350.com.

Akron Coach Terry Bowden (West Virginia, 1978): Is in his first season at the helm for the Zips and his 19th campaign as a collegiate head coach, owning a 141-72-2 record. He was named the program's 27th all-time coach on Dec. 22, 2011, but is just the seventh person to hold the position since 1960. This is his first time facing Toledo.

The Series: Tuesday marks the 17th all-time meeting between the Zips and Rockets on the gridiron, with the series record tied at 8-all. The programs haven't faced one another since 2008, a 47-30 Zips' win in Akron. UT has won six of the last seven meetings and holds a 4-2 advantage when playing at home. UA last posted a win in Toledo on Oct. 16, 1937 (21-7). The Zips won the first six games in the series in 1923, '24, '29, '30, '37, '38.

Streaks, Storylines, Sidebars
• Following its bye week, Akron (1-10, 0-7 MAC) travels to Mid-American Conference West Division opponent Toledo (8-3, 5-2) to end its 112th season on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET. The game will be televised nationally via ESPN2.
• Akron and Toledo are meeting for the first time since 2008, when the Zips claimed a 47-30 decision at UA's Rubber Bowl. UT has won six of the last seven meetings in a series that dates to 1923.
• Zips RB Jawon Chisholm had 103 yards rushing and WR Marquelo Suel had 105 yards receiving as UA's second-half comeback fell short in a 22-14 loss to visiting Massachusetts on Nov. 10. Akron QB Dalton Williams completed 34-of-51 passes for 332 yards, but also threw four interceptions. UA led in total offense, 427-327.
• The UA offense is ranked 14th nationally in passing (317.1 ypg, 1st MAC) and 40th in total offense (435.8 ypg, 6th MAC).
• Akron's 4,794 yards of total offense ranks sixth in the MAC and 38th nationally (435.8 ypg).
• The Zips have one of the more efficient red zone offenses in the MAC, having scored on 82.5 percent (33-of-40) of its trips into that territory this season (sixth best in the league). The squad's 27 red zone TDs is fifth most in the MAC. UA has converted on 11 of its last 13 red zone drives (2-for-2 versus UMass on Nov. 10).
• 2012 marks the return of head coach Terry Bowden to the Football Bowl Subdivision sideline. He coached at Division-II North Alabama the last three seasons (20-6 record) and was head coach at Auburn from 1993-98 (47-17-1).
• Bowden is one of 59 coaches at FBS schools voting in this season's USA Today top-25 poll.
• UA looks for its first road win since a 42-35 victory at Eastern Michigan on Oct. 18, 2008 (stretch of 25-straight away game losses).
• The Zips' last victory over a MAC foe came against Buffalo, 22-14, on Nov. 28, 2010 (stretch of 15-straight conference game losses).
• Akron snapped a 10-game program losing streak and racked up a school-record 753 yards of total offense with a 66-6 victory over visiting FCS foe Morgan State on Sept. 15. The Zips scored a school-record nine TDs in that outing.

News, Notes, Trends
• QB Dalton Williams leads the MAC in passing yards (3,335), passing yards per game (303.2) and touchdown passes (25). His 25 TDs is a school single-season record (surpassed Luke Getsy's 23 in 2005).
• Williams has thrown for over 300 yards in three-straight games (332 versus UMass on Nov. 10).
• Akron's 28 passing touchdowns this season is the program's single-season record, surpassing the mark of 24 established in 2005.
• RB Jawon Chisholm has posted at least 100 yards of rushing in six games this season. He had 23 carries for 103 yards versus UMass on Nov. 10, after posting 115 yards off 16 carries at Kent State the previous week.
• Chisholm has 906 total rushing yards this season (163 attempts), and is looking to become Akron's first 1,000 rusher since 2008 (Dennis Kennedy; 1,321).
• 18 UA players have caught at least one pass this season (10 did so versus UMass on Nov. 10), with 10 of those grabbing 10 or more.
• Biletnikoff Award Watch List member WR Marquelo Suel leads the team with 73 catches (790 yards). He had a career-high 12 receptions at Tennessee (Sept. 22), and has combined for 21 over the last two games (10 for 105 yards versus UMass on Nov. 10).
• The Zips have outgained their opponent in three-straight games and five times this season.
• Thus far this season the UA offensive line has given up 20 sacks (1.8 spg) compared to 35 (3.1 spg) through the first 11 games in 2011 (allowed 38 total last season).
• The UA coaching staff has used 24 first year players (13 true freshmen, 11 redshirt freshmen). That ranks as the fifth most nationally, behind TCU (27), Kentucky (26), UCLA (25) and USC (25). The 13 true freshmen number is tied for third most nationally (Colorado, Georgia).
• UA's 44 completions against Morgan State (Sept. 15) is tied as the eighth most nationally this season (Marshall versus Ohio, Sept. 15; Louisiana Tech versus Texas A&M, Oct. 13). The Zips' 565 passing yards in that game rank as the fifth-most by any team this year.

2012 in Perspective
Here's perspective on how close the Zips have come to claiming additional wins this year...
• at FIU (Sept. 8): UA trailed 21-20 after three quarters, but took a 38-35 lead with 1:53 to go. FIU converted a field goal as time expired in regulation (38-all) and hit another to win in overtime.
• at Tennessee (Sept. 22): Score was tied 23-all at half and UA was within 30-26 after a field goal early in the fourth quarter.
• vs. Miami (Ohio) (Sept. 29): UA led 49-48 with 7:06 to go after twice tying the score, at 28-all and 35-all.
• at Ohio (Oct. 13): After being down 20-7 at half, UA pulled to within 34-28 with 1:55 remaining and nearly recovered an on-side kick that went out-of-bounds.

Senior Signal Caller – Dalton Williams
• Through 11 games this season, fifth-year senior transfer QB Dalton Williams from Stephen F. Austin is 324-for-518 passing with 3,335 yards, a school single-season record 25 touchdown passes and 16 interceptions. His 324 completions is the most in a season in program history, topping Luke Getsy's 278 (525 attempts) in 2005.
• He was 34-of-51 for 332 yards and one TD versus UMass on Nov. 10 and has thrown for over 300 yards in each of the last three games (312 yards, 30-of-41 passing, 2 TDs at Kent State on Nov. 3; 329 yards, 31-of-51 passing, 2 TDs at Central Michigan on Oct. 27).
• He has thrown for over 300 yards six times this year and surpassed the 400-yard mark twice.
• He leads the MAC in passing yards (3,335), passing yards per game (303.2), pass completions (324), pass attempts (518) and touchdown passes (25). He ranks third in the league and 27th nationally in total offense (291.8).
• His 446 passing yards against Morgan State (Sept. 15, 37-of-48 passing) and Miami (Sept. 29, 32-of-42 passing) are tied as the 25th most in a single game nationally this season.
• His 3,335 passing yards rank third in the Akron record book for a single season. Second is 3,455 by Luke Getsy in 2005.
• His 446-yard passing performance against Miami on Sept. 29, set the school mark for most yards passing in a four-game stretch with 1,444. He passed Charlie Frye's 1,301 yards during the 2003 season. So far, Williams has set or tied nine individual school records, and has help the Zips set or tie 12 Akron and one MAC team record.
• Is one of five QBs in the MAC to have thrown for 400 yards in a game this season (446 versus Morgan State on Sept. 15; 446 versus Miami on Sept. 29). Ball State's Keith Wenning has done so twice (445 against Kent State; 434 against Northern Illinois), Toledo's Terrance Owens once (401 against Eastern Michigan), Northern Illinois' Jordan Lynch once (407 against Toledo) and Miami's Zac Dysert once (455 against Kent State). Dysert also threw for a league season-high 516 yards against Akron on Sept. 29.
• Against FIU (Sept. 8), his five TD tosses matched the school-record mark set by Luke Getsy versus Northern Illinois on Sept. 24, 2005.
• Williams was named MAC East Division Player of the Week on Sept. 10. On Sept. 17, he earned weekly honorable mention recognition by the Davey O'Brien Quarterback Award.
• He completed 72-of-110 passes for 724 yards and seven TDs as backup quarterback at Stephen F. Austin from 2008-11.

Noting Akron's Offense
• WR Marquelo Suel leads the team with 73 catches (790 yards), the third most in a single season in school history (107 for his career is seventh most in program history). His 6.6 catches per game rank tied for fifth in the MAC and tied for 22nd nationally. He has five TD catches.
• Suel caught a career-high 12 passes for 92 yards at Tennessee (Sept. 22). The 12 receptions was three shy of tying the school's single-game mark in that category. He had 11 catches for 85 yards at Kent State (Nov. 3) and 10 for 105 yards versus UMass (Nov. 10).
• WR Dee Frieson follows Suel in the receiving category, with 47 catches for 384 yards (five for 46 yards versus UMass on Nov. 10).
• WR L.T. Smith has 44 catches for 430 yards (two for 27 yards versus UMass on Nov. 10).
• RB Jawon Chisholm, who broke the program's freshman rushing record with 961 yards and five touchdowns in 2011, has a team-best 163 carries for 906 yards (90.6 ypg, 10th MAC, 41st nationally) this season. He has six touchdowns this year, four on the ground and two in the air (rushed 50 yards for a TD at Kent State on Nov. 3; had a 1-yard TD run versus UMass on Nov. 10). Chisholm also has 32 catches for 279 yards (27.9 ypg).
• Chisholm has six 100-yard rushing games this season (103 yards on 23 carries versus UMass on Nov. 10). He had a season-high 177 yards on 28 carries at Ohio (Oct. 13). He did not play at Central Michigan (Oct. 27) due to injury.
• WR Jerrod Dillard leads the team with eight TD catches and has two multiple TD games (two at Ohio on Oct. 13, two at Kent State on Nov. 3).
• Freshman RB Conor Hundley posted two rushing TDs against Morgan State (Sept. 15) and had another on the ground versus Miami (Sept. 29). He has 72 carries for 271 yards this season (35 attempts for 172 yards over the last four games; none last Saturday versus UMass).

Noting Akron's Defense
• LB Kurt Mangum, a fifth-year senior transfer from Howard, leads the team with 100 tackles (43 solo) (nine tackles versus UMass on Nov. 10). He also has 5.0 tackles-for-loss, one sack and one fumble recovery (versus UMass). Mangum had a career-high 16 tackles at Ohio (Oct. 13). He has five double-digit tackle performances this season. His 9.1 tackles per game ranked eighth in the MAC and tied for 40th nationally.
• DL J.D. Griggs ranks tenth in the MAC in sacks per game (0.50 spg). His 5.5 total sacks is tied for eighth most in the league. He has 38 total tackles (28 solo) and a team-high 10.5 tackles-for-loss that is tied as fifth most in the conference. His 0.95 tackles-for-loss per game is tied for sixth most in the league. He had his first career interception against UMass (Nov. 10).
• 6-foot-3 CB Avis Commack, a fifth-year senior transfer from Florida State, has 43 tackles (25 solo). He picked off a Tyler Bray pass and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown 35 seconds into UA's game at Tennessee (Sept. 22).
• CB Malachi Freeman, a transfer from Nassau Community College (N.Y.), leads the team with seven pass breakups.

Noting Akron's Special Teams
• Redshirt freshman K Robert Stein has converted 8-of-11 field goal attempts this season and has been true on seven straight. He did not have a FG attempt versus UMass.

Zips Live Coaches Show
Every Thursday throughout the season from 7-8 p.m. ET Akron head coach Terry Bowden can be heard on the weekly radio program Zips Live. The show airs locally on 1350 AM (WARF) and originates from the Winking Lizard Tavern in nearby Fairlawn. Visit GoZips.com/broadcasts to listen online.

Zips Football with Terry Bowden
Weekly throughout the season, head coach Terry Bowden will review the previous week's game and preview the Zips' upcoming opponent on the 30-minute television show, Zips Football with Terry Bowden presented by Wentz Financial Group. The show will be carried by SportsTime Ohio. Visit GoZips.com/broadcasts for a complete schedule of airtimes.